Councillors back calls to spare Aboyne birth unit

LOCAL councillors Peter Argyle and Cllr Rosemary Bruce led calls for the threatened birth unit at Aboyne Hospital to be saved during a debate at a meeting of Aberdeenshire Council.

The discussion centred on the Council’s response to the consultation on Maternity Services, currently being conducted by NHS Grampian. Proposed changes would see the creation of new Community Maternity Units at Peterhead, Inverurie and Aberdeen and the closure of the unit at Aboyne.

Mid Deeside Community Council and Torphins Community Council have written to NHS Grampian calling for the Aboyne birth unit to be saved.

Cllr Peter Argyle said the loss of the unit created a huge gap in provision for western Aberdeenshire and Deeside in particular. He added that the principal reason for closure appeared to be the need to ensure that midwives were able to maintain their skills and confidence. There were other ways in which this could be achieved, he said, without sacrificing a facility that is highly valued by the community.

Cllr Rosemary Bruce urged anyone that hasn’t done so already to respond to the review at: www.nhsgrampian.org/maternityreview by the closing date of March 22.